Captivated
by lovesounds
Summary: When Edward Masen moves to Forks, Washington, he anticipates finishing high school and going to college. What happens when he meets Bella Cullen and his world is turned upside down? Reviews are appreciated!
1. Welcome to Forks, Washington

**AN: **I don't own _Twilight_ or any of the characters in it. It's Stephenie Meyers' world, I just write about it. No copyright infringement is intended.

**AN#2: **This is not going to follow _Twilight_ exactly, because that would be boring. I've given my own twist on this story, and I hope it will make readers enjoy it. I also realize that other people have written different variations of this idea. No infringement is intended to them either.

Chapter 1

Moving day. For some, it meant spending the day in packing up a truck and moving across town. For others it was maybe a few hours. For me, it was across 6 states and two time zones. Moving day also consisted of leaving a hotel and taking a plane from Chicago to the Sea-Tac Airport.

To appease my mother, I had done a lot to prepare for the dramatic lifestyle change ahead of me. I bought books about Washington state, I read up on the school I was going to spend the remainder of my high school life at, I even purchased some new clothes to accommodate to the climate change. What I wasn't prepared for was that I had moved to the most sunless city in the contiguous United States.

As the plane took off from O'Hare, I found myself nostalgically resurfacing the life I was leaving behind. Seventeen years had been spent there, some years better than others. I watched the buildings become smaller as we ascended and in just a few minutes time, we were among the clouds and the buildings disappeared out of sight.

"Edward," My mother said, pulling me from my daydream. "Edward, are you hungry?" I shook my head and met her eyes. She reached over and patted my hand affectionately, eventually resting it on top of mine.

She had spent so much time apologizing for pulling me out of our comfortable lifestyle. I couldn't blame her for packing us up and moving us though. My mother had just been hired as the President and CEO of First Federal in Forks, Washington.

My father had died when I was much too young to remember and she had spent most of her life in a bank. We came from humble beginnings though, and the position she took with First Federal was a step in the right direction for our family. Sure, it meant that I had to abandon busy Chicago city life for a quiet suburban life on the Olympic Peninsula, but I knew the change was ultimately what was best for our family.

I had come to find out that I was the first new student that the Spartans had added since 2006. This left the administration fumbling over themselves when my mother and I had come to register me for classes. I was in my junior year of coursework, but I attended an alternative high school back in Chicago that allowed me to take courses at the college level, therefore this year would most likely be a walk in the park for me. Of course I did request to take Advanced Placement Calculus, so that I could prepare myself a little more for the ACT that I would be taking this summer so that I could get myself into a good university. Of course Elizabeth preferred that I stay around Washington, but my heart was set on Dartmouth. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I most certainly was going to try to get in.

I quickly glanced over my schedule- the rest of the school year wouldn't be much of a challenge. I received a scholarship opportunity last summer at The University of Chicago to take some classes. I felt that this would be essential to get into Dartmouth. I made some good connections and I knew I could rely on them come next fall. Dartmouth is and always was part of the plan, and Elizabeth was hell bent and determined to make that happen for me. My family had never been extremely wealthy, but my father (God rest his soul) was very smart with the money he had put into the Chicago Exchange. Being an only child, even in our darkest moments – Elizabeth made a promise to me that my father's money would always be for my education.

The first bell rang, snapping me from my thoughts and I realized I had no idea where I was going. I was nearly trampled by the other students in the hall. By some grace, someone noticed. "You must be Edward Masen. I'm Mike Newton." I smiled at his kindness. Without asking me, he took my schedule. "Ah, looks like we got Government class together. C'mon, I'll walk with you." Mike headed down the hall and I followed. People began to scurry to class, when my eyes did a double take. It was only a brief moment but my breath hitched in my throat as my eyes fell on the angel in blue. Mike was focused on getting us to government, so I didn't have time to ask who she was. We made it just before the second bell, and I took my seat next to mike in the back. Without too much class, I was introduced to everyone and class began.

I couldn't tell you what happened that first day in government – my thoughts were too far away from anything related to school. The minutes ticked by way too slowly and I tried to pull my thoughts away from the girl my eyes saw. She was more glamorous than a movie star with her warm brown hair, fair complexion and curvaceous body. Before I knew it, government was over and Mike, my self-proclaimed tour guide was taking me to Calculus. He wasn't in my class, but he introduced me to Mr. Varner and was on his way. A few girls in my class were in hushed whispers as I took my seat and before long I realized Calculus was a senior-level class. I took Calculus during my UC summer session and felt ahead of the game as Mr. Varner began his lecture about implicit differentiation. I forced myself to pay attention and by the time we were halfway through the class, it didn't feel forced.

British Literature was next and I was back with my peers. Calculus with seniors made me feel uneasy. I didn't have this class with Mike either, but I sat near the middle of the class next to a girl with a short pixie haircut and she was quick to offer me a smile.

"You must be Edward Masen. I'm Alice Cullen, and this is my brother, Emmett." I nodded slowly and came to the slow realization just how small Forks was. Everyone knew who I was and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

I glanced back at Alice and Emmett and my thoughts must have been written all over my face. "Oh!" Alice exclaimed, "My father Carlisle adopted both of us. We're not blood-related, but we are family."

Emmett nodded in agreement and chuckled slightly at her statement. He was wearing a Spartans jersey with the number 28 on it and a letter 'C' on the upper right shoulder. Ah, so he was captain of the football team. Our teacher seemed to be running late as Alice, Emmett and I continued our conversation.

She asked me how I was adjusting to small town life versus Chicago. Seriously? She knew where I was from and everything? This surprised me, but it seemed to be normal with her so I shrugged it off, answered her questions, and by the time I was finished, our teacher walked in.

I gave Alice another smile and class began. My mind began to wander again and I wondered if I had moved to Stepford, not Forks.

Thankfully, I had remained anonymous in Brit Lit my first day and finally it was lunch time. Mike was waiting for me outside class and Alice and Emmett gave me a friendly nod before we parted ways. I guessed that I wasn't going to have much difficulty adjusting to Forks with the new friendships I had formed before lunch.

Mike looked at me for a moment and raised a brow. "Ah, so you've met the Cullens?" I nodded silently with an all-knowing shrug. "They sort of keep to themselves. Except Emmett… he's our fearless leader." His voice sounded like he was rolling his eyes and chuckled slightly as we walked into the jungle known as the cafeteria and got into the lunch line.

I wasn't very hungry yet, seeing as it was barely eleven in the morning but I knew I wouldn't eat again until dinnertime possibly, so I took advantage of the opportunity I had to eat now. When we got to a table, I was introduced to his friends. Tyler Crowley, who was adorned in a jersey as well, his had an 'A' on the shoulder and I nodded as the introductions continued with Ben Cheney (the self-proclaimed comic book geek), Angela Weber (a Preacher's kid) and Jessica Stanley (a never-ending mass of gossip).

In the back of the cafeteria at a secluded table, I saw Emmett and Alice with a few other people at their table and Alice waved excitedly at me. I smiled at her with a nod and let my eyes shift to her left. There she was- my vision in blue, plaguing my thoughts once again. Mike noticed where I was looking and nudged me with a smirk. "Bella." He stated simply and I felt my heart skip a beat. The name Bella suited her well. She was absolutely stunning.

Mike filled me in on their names and what he knew of their background, I managed to 'hmm' and 'ahhh' at the right moment but I was very distracted in thoughts of my own. And then my eyes locked with hers. Bella Cullen. I desperately wanted to continue to look at her, but my cheeks flushed with slight embarrassment and my new friends were trying to bring me back to the planet I left a few minutes ago.

"Eddie, man… You thought about playing sports or anything?" Tyler asked, chomping loudly on a french fry.

How one could eat their food so absurdly was beyond me but I gave him a polite smile and shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, I'm not sure… I mean- I was thinking about getting a part-time job and that wouldn't leave too much time for sports." I answered his question as best I knew how to avoid it. Mike was grinning from ear to ear while Tyler scowled.

"Great, I'll talk to my dad… he owns a sporting goods store and he's pretty partial to hiring my friends. The pay is decent too." Mike informed me, not bothered one bit that I didn't want to play sports. Jessica and Angela had made a brief departure, my guess was to the bathroom.

"Are they all…" I began, and Mike nodded.

"Cullens? Yes. Dr. Cullen adopted them. Oh, except Erin." He pointed to the brunette that Emmett had his arm around. She was wearing a Spartan cheerleader uniform and I couldn't help but smile for him. Even in the body language, I could tell that they seemed compatible. Erin stood out from the rest of them though. Her skin was fair, but not nearly as fair as the Cullens. I felt a chill run down my spine as I looked back at Bella. It was hard to pull myself from the trance she had lured me into.

Unbeknownst to me, the girls had returned from their bathroom excursion and Jessica caught me staring, her eyes said it all. She knew I was looking at the Cullens. "They're just… so strange. So strange." As if she was trying to purposely rain on my parade. Nothing could waver my affixation on Bella at the moment, no matter how hard Jessica Stanley tried.

Mike just looked at her and nudged her apathetically. "Jess, c'mon… they're not _that_ bad." Ah, and there was Mike with the save.

Just as Jessica was beginning to say something else, the end of lunch bell rang and I stood up from my seat. Tyler threw his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. "Eddie, my boy, off to Gym." I nodded and began heading in the opposite direction of class. Tyler grabbed me by the shoulder and put me right direction. Forks was different from any other school I had been to in the past because there were a few different buildings where classes could be.

We made some small talk, I tried to amuse him with my football knowledge and asked how the team was doing. "Actually man, Emmett's a great captain. We're undefeated so far this season. If anyone's gonna go somewhere with a future in football it's him. It's almost like he's not human for as strong as he is." Emmett definitely didn't look like someone you'd want to be up against on the football field.

Just when I thought I could push the thoughts of Bella Cullen out of my head for another hour, I walked into Gym and there she was.


	2. Vision in Blue

**AN: **Thanks for the feedback, I hope you'll keep reading and rec this to your other _Twilight_ friends! This is Stephenie Meyers' world, I just daydream in it.

I took a deep breath and let my eyes focus on the sight in front of me. Even in a PE t-shirt and track pants, she was a visual masterpiece. I was certain I was not the first person at Forks High School to develop a crush on Bella Cullen, and I was sure I wouldn't be the last. Lost in my own thoughts, I wasn't paying attention to Tyler as he hurled a basketball at me.

Under normal circumstances, I would have caught it without any difficulty. I played basketball since I was a child, but today Bella Cullen was distracting me and my face caught it instead. I pulled my hand up to my face and pulled it away quickly. I had a bloody nose too. I felt my face starting to bruise. Great.

I pulled my hand up to my face again and looked out my good eye. I glanced around the gym to see if Bella had witnessed my carelessness. I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see her. Maybe she went to the bathroom? Coach Clapp was jogging over to where I was standing and he looked at Tyler. "Crowley, take Edmund to the nurse."

"It's Edward." I corrected him and we walked out of the gym and headed back to the main building.

Tyler was apologizing profusely as we walked. "Eddie, damn. I'm really sorry."

I shrugged a bit and tried to laugh it off, even though it aggravated my sinus cavity to laugh. "I'm the one who wasn't paying attention!"

"Man, did you see Bella Cullen? She took off the second I hit you." Tyler explained as he opened the door for me.

"She did?" I asked. Odd. Why would she take off? Maybe blood made her queasy. I felt bad.

Tyler and I walked in and I sat down on the cot in Ms. Cope's office. She seemed surprised that we were there. She looked up from her book as we walked in. "Mr. Crowley, what brings you in? Trying to skip class again?" Her glasses lowered on her nose and gave a soft chuckle. Tyler shook his head with a laugh as well. The two almost seemed – flirtatious? I'm sure I was just reading too much into it.

Tyler then gestured to me and she scurried over to inspect. "Oh goodness!" She rushed back to her desk and took some tissues and handed them to me. She helped me lay down and then went to retrieve some things from what looked like a tackle box full of bandages. Ten minutes later my face was free of blood and I was feeling slightly better. Ms. Cope gave me an ice pack for my now swollen face and asked if I wanted her to call my mother. I nodded and knew that Elizabeth would think I managed to get myself into a fight on the first day without an explanation. Naturally, I was not the fighting type, but I knew she would be relieved that this was not the case.

My assailant sat on the cot opposite me while Ms. Cope spoke with my mother. Only able to hear one end of the conversation, Elizabeth took it a lot better than I thought she would. I was an only child and Elizabeth was a single parent, so she had a natural tendency to be over-protective, over-bearing and somewhat annoying about any little thing that might happen to me.

Ms. Cope hung up with my mother and removed my ice pack and inspected my bruise. "Well, good news is I think you'll be alright, sweetheart." I nodded and gave her a smile and she instructed Tyler to head back to the gym to retrieve our backpacks. Twenty minutes later, the bell rang and she looked to me. "Edward, do you think you will be alright to attend the rest of your classes today, or would you like an excuse to go home?"

It seemed that Ms. Cope was very easily persuaded and while I probably could have taken advantage of the situation, I chose not to. "That won't be necessary, but thank you Ms. Cope." I stood to my feet and let her evaluate me one final time. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my schedule. "If you could just tell me where my AP Chemistry class is, I would appreciate it."

She stood on her tiptoes to see what building and room I was in. "Yes, you'll just go back out and straight across the lawn is the chemistry building. Aren't you a junior, Edward?"

Her question caught me off guard, but I nodded. "I'm just… impressed. AP Chemistry is a senior-level class. You must have received some excellent education in Chicago." I felt a blush creep on my face at her compliment and she just smiled. I gave her a polite wave and headed on my way. Ms. Cope insisted that I carry an ice pack with me to class and I could hear the whispers as I walked down the hall. A fight with Tyler? Get real. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I didn't feel the need to defend myself to anyone, but that didn't mean what they said didn't bother me.

I spotted Emmett with his girlfriend on my way to chemistry and he had a shocked look on his face as he approached. "Ed, you okay?" I nodded and shrugged, slightly embarrassed about the whole ordeal. "Who did this?" He asked, and Erin slipped out of the way for him to take a closer look.

"Tyler." I replied and saw his face turn angry. I felt the need to quickly explain before he got very upset with his assistant captain. "But it was an accident… I wasn't paying attention in gym. Basketball." I saw the relief leave Emmett's face, and I was glad also.

"Alright man, well be careful, okay?" Erin was standing against the lockers talking to some of her friends and Emmett realized he hadn't introduced us yet. "Erin, c'mere." She politely excused herself from her friends and was instantly back at his side. "Erin, this is Edward Masen, the kid Aun- er, Alice was talking about."

"Edward, it's so very nice to meet you." She had a slight southern belle accent and I couldn't help but smile. It was barely recognizable to those who had under-developed linguistic and aural skills, but I caught it. The warning bell rang and pulled us all from our conversation.

"Shoot, I gotta get to gym to watch some video before this Friday. You coming to the game, Edward?" He asked, smirking all the while.

"Sure man, wouldn't miss it." It was almost as if Emmett knew I was going to say yes.

"Awesome, awesome. Well, I'll see you tomorrow in Brit Lit, okay? Alice'll save you a seat. Bye!" He and Erin gave me a final wave and they headed on their way.

I was in no hurry to get to Chemistry, fearing the scrutiny I would receive from the upperclassmen much like AP Calculus had gone earlier this morning. I figured my note from Ms. Cope and the ice pack would serve as sufficient enough excuse for my tardiness. The bell rang as I entered the building and I trudged down the hall, just in time for attendance to be taken. I handed my slip over to the teacher who took it from me and asked me to find an open seat.

I spotted the kid I had been introduced to at lunch earlier, (whom I later remembered as Ben Cheney) as Dr. Inks went through the class roster. Well, at least I wasn't the only junior in a senior level class.

There was only one other familiar name I knew that was called right after Ben's and that was Jasper Cullen. Thank goodness Alice had disclaimed that they were not all actual siblings earlier because they definitely didn't resemble each other at all.

Class seemed to go by quickly today as Dr. Inks explained procedures for the lab we would be doing tomorrow. Before I knew it, the final bell rang and school was over for the day. I headed back to my locker to gather my books I would need to complete my homework assignments this evening and headed to my car.

Elizabeth had been insistent on buying me a car though I would admit that I definitely wasn't adjusted to actually driving places yet. Back home, I never had the need for a car. There was always the 'L' train, or some sort of Chicago Transit Authority, so there was no need to get my driver's license. I had no problem passing the examination when we moved to Washington, but I had no sense of navigation whatsoever. I hoped silently that if Mike Newton's father was able to give me a job, I could save some money and buy myself a GPS unit. Until then, I'd have to write out directions everywhere. It made life slightly more complicated than normal, but necessary nonetheless.

I arrived back at our townhome and knew that my mother wouldn't be home for a few hours. I unlocked the door, walked inside, and headed upstairs. I settled on my bed and closed my eyes as I reflected on my day. I already managed to find myself crushing on the most gorgeous girl in Forks, get a black eye, and I became a victim of the rumor mill. What a lovely start.


	3. Mama's Boy

A/N: Yes, I realize my Edward isn't quite as mature as Vamp!Edward. I contribute this to the fact that mine is a Gen Y'er. So a little bit OOC, but you'll begi n to see him pop out once and awhile with some surprises.

Thanks to my personal Twilight heart-monitor, EKG. She's been patiently waiting for this update for awhile. And thanks to everyone else who reviewed and read so far. I'm slightly less busy now than I was when I started this story so I should be able to update more often.

Chapter 3 – Mama's Boy

I woke up to the sound of my mother knocking on my door. "Edward? Edward, are you in there?"

I groaned softly and pulled myself off the bed. "Yeah! I'm in here, mom." I trudged toward the door and opened it, forgetting about my swollen face. I realized it just as I pulled the door open and saw the look on Elizabeth's face.

"Oh my! Ms. Cope said it was a little bruised, but…" She trailed off and reached her hand up to stroke my face.

"It was an accident mom." I reminded her, and rested my hand on top of hers as she gave me a sad smile.

"I know it was… does it hurt?" She asked and I shrugged, walking out of the doorway and into the bathroom. I realized I hadn't inspected the bruise since it happened. It was a lot worse than I thought. Tyler must have really hurled that thing at me. I couldn't help but wonder if he had done it on purpose. But what would have been his motivation? Maybe Bella Cullen was looking at me more than him? Was he jealous? I chuckled softly as I touched my face and thought how absurd that sounded. Elizabeth stood behind me, watching me.

She finally broke the lull of silence by clearing her throat and patting me on the shoulder. "I'm going to get dinner started for us; I'll make you something special tonight, sound good?" I nodded in appreciation and I was alone again. My thoughts wandered back to the hallway and my first glimpse of Bella, then lunch and Bella, and finally- gym and Bella. Ugh, why did she have to be so utterly breathtaking? I flopped back onto my bed and flicked on the TV. Channel 30 was just about to start the six o'clock news and I decided to watch it for awhile. I had a bit of homework to do, but I needed to distract myself from thoughts of Bella Cullen.

There were the typical news stories; what the government was up to on the state and local levels, the attempted robbery at Safeway, and a debate over whether the Quileute Indians should build a casino on the reservation.

Just as they were about to sign off for the evening and Jeopardy would come on, they took me by surprise by featuring a story about my mother's arrival in Forks as the new President of Forks Federal. They briefly mentioned that we previously lived in Chicago and that she had one son attending Forks High.

If that wasn't bad enough, they also mentioned that a welcome dinner would be held by the Chamber of Commerce this weekend. There was a picture of my mother and I in the upper left hand corner and I had to applaud whoever got their hands on that picture; it was one of my favorites of the two of us, taken last summer when she took me to the Grand Canyon for my birthday. As the news ended, Elizabeth summoned me for dinner. I sprung from the bed and nearly tumbled down the stairs.

My mother had yet to change out of her 'presidential wear' and she wore an apron to prevent a stain. Always making everything from scratch, she had a tendency to get a little messy when she cooked.

"Mom, did you see the news?" I asked nonchalantly as I pulled the gallon of milk from the fridge, half-tempted to take a swig then and there, but know that Elizabeth would have my head if I do.

She nodded as she plated up the food. "Yep. I thought it was a nice piece." She smiled with a small shrug and paused for a moment before continuing. "Speaking of which- can you please clear your schedule for Saturday?" Ugh, I knew I was going to be roped into this somehow. I didn't really have a choice though; it wasn't like I could make an excuse that she'd be okay with.

"You want me to come with you?" I asked, my voice was curious, although, I already knew the answer to my question.

-X-

The rest of the week passed fairly quick and uneventful, and for that- I was grateful. Mr. Varner asked me if I was prepared to take a Calculus midterm with the rest of the class, and since I felt okay about the material that was covered, I took it. He didn't seem surprised when he handed our tests back the following day and I got a 98. I missed two points for not writing my equation in point-slope form. Ah, well.

Alice was her usual chatty self during Brit Lit and Emmett constantly had me in tears of laughter. Despite our quick friendships, there was still some distance between us. I felt myself yearning to know Bella better, but there was something about her demeanor that kept me away. Mike invited me over for dinner at the Newton's one night, and one fabulous meal later- I was the newest part-time employee at Newton's Sporting Goods. Elizabeth was proud of my new-found responsibility and let me work fifteen hours a week as long as my grades didn't suffer. At least for those fifteen hours a week I could try not to think about Bella Cullen.

-X-

Forks was a small town, and though the town was small, the dinner parties were not. The Mayor and the Board of Trustees had organized a welcome reception for my mother. Sometimes when I was younger, Elizabeth used to tell me stories about her life with my father. The dinner parties, the dancing, the dresses… I wasn't a girl, but nothing made her happier than reliving those moments. Being the wonderful son that I am, I sat through most of them without any interruption or complaint.

"All the who's who's are going to be there tonight, Edward. Just for a silly welcome reception." Silently I thought of Dr. Cullen and wondered if that included him and his family. I'd give anything to take a glimpse of Bella Cullen in a dress, with those curves…

"Then I will wear a tuxedo for you, mother." I smiled as I saw the grin spread across her face.

"Oh, Edward! You have no idea how much that pleases me." She cooed, and pulled a garment bag with a tuxedo in it from the closet that had to be older than me.

"Let me guess, dad's?" I asked, feigning innocence.

She nodded with pleading eyes and removed the garment from its bag and laid it on the bed. Despite its years of not being used, it was actually in pristine condition. I gave her a smile and agreed to wear it.

As I put the finishing touches on my outfit, I took a deep breath and desperately wished I had something to calm my nerves. I felt like a penguin, but my mother seemed to think that I was a young version of my father. She showed me a picture as evidence to further her case. Looking at myself in the mirror, I ran a hand through my untamed locks and took a deep breath, _Well, here goes nothing. _


End file.
